2015 Calendar Highlights

Highlights Of 2015

January

13th| OSAC Overseas Security Advisory Council presentation on at the US Embassy; AmCham members were invited to attend the 1st US. Department of State OSAC meeting in 2015. Mr. Kory Hammond, the US Embassy in Zambia Regional Security Officer, directed the presentation. The presentation gave a brief background of OSAC, its current outlook and also provided information about day-to-day safety practices for individuals living in Lusaka and an overview of Zambia’s security situation compared to its neighboring countries.

28th| Art and Rule of law presentation at the US Embassy; The Presentation brought together representatives from the financial, insurance, real estate and legal sectors to meet with artists and art lovers. The presentation aimed to stimulate a discussion of the current art scene in Zambia and to discuss its potential for burgeoning art industry.

February

5th| US government delegation met AmCham Zambia private sector to discuss investment opportunities in Zambia; The delegation sought sought input from AmCham about Zambian government policy priorities, key areas of concern for the private sector in Zambia and suggestions on attractive sectors for U.S. firms to invest in Zambia.

19th| AmCham AGM at US Embassy ‘American Chamber of Commerce Zambia Vision for Doing Business in Zambia 2015”; With a focus on continuity, the Chamber brought together past and current members to discuss the previous year’s activities, how to move forward in 2015, Voted for a new Board of Directors and concluded with a themed cocktail. The guests of honor were the Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry, Honorable Margaret Mwanakatwe and the U.S. Ambassador Eric Schultz.

25th| MCA cocktail mixer at the Radisson; Members of the Chamber gathered to network and hear a presentation by Millennium Challenge Account(MCA). The presentation shed light on the Lusaka water supply, sanitation and drainage project. They also discussed the procurement process and highlighted the business opportunities available to AmCham members in various sectors.

March

30th| Pacra brief; At the Hotel Intercontinental, Pacra gave presentations on the process of registering a business, patent trademark and industrial design.

April

23rd-24th| AmCham members attended EXIM (Export Import) Conference in the US; The trade missions to the US are aimed at promoting trade between the US and Zambia

May

5th: AmCham Advocacy Committee chairman Will Pearson had a direct line call with Millennium Challenge Corporation directed by US Ambassador Schultz. The call was on ways AmCham Zambia members could benefit from MCC tenders on it $355 million worth projects in water supply, sanitation and drainage.

14th| Consular office workshop; The workshop focused on the process of obtaining a non-immigrant visa. Presentations were given on the B-1/B-2 visas which allow an individual to to enter the U.S. for business or tourism.

15th| Second OSAC meeting at US Embassy to discuss personal security; OSAC discussed the issues of monitoring crime rate, documentation of financial fraud, inventory and warehouse theft, and computer security.

21st| Round table meeting- trade barriers of doing business in Zambia with US delegation, AmCham members- KPMG, PWC, Jewel of Africa, Pioneer Dupont, Monsanto, NWK, EY and representatives from USAID and US office of trade; The U.S Trade director requested specific areas of concern for AmCham Zambia members doing business in Zambia. The responses were to be forwarded to U.S. Trade Africa delegation, who would use the feedback to identify actions the governments of the U.S. and Zambia could take to improve Zambia’s business climate.

26th| CSR forum launch at Southern Sun Ridgeway; The forum had presentations by Kukula Capital, Airtel and Southern Sun Ridgeway on areas of their CSR work.

26th| AmCham Hosted delegation of representatives from US business schools and historically black colleges at the Taj Pamodzi; The purpose of the delegation’s visit was to provide faculty members and professionals, including chairs and heads of 13 American business schools, the opportunity to better understand the political, economic and investment environment in Sub-Saharan Africa. Featured guests included the U.S. Ambassador to Zambia, Mr. Eric Schultz and Honorable minister of commerce, Trade and Industry, Mrs. Margaret Mwanakatwe.

June

3rd| Corporate Council for Africa (CCA) trade mission to Zambia and Zimbabwe had a roundtable meeting with AmCham members at InterContinental. CCA travelled to explore business opportunities in a number of sectors including agribusiness energy, mines and trade.

4th| AmCham participated in UNLLDC in livingstone; An important element of the conference for AmCham was holding a private sector session.

12th| Jazz night; AmCham hosted its 1st Jazz and Blues night at Misty Jazz Restaurant and Cafe. Members enjoyed an evening of jazz and blues by local jazz artists. Members also enjoyed a 3-course meal, wine from the wine shop and concluded with cocktails and dancing.

25th| Presentation by Mark Ross and Vedruna S. at Protea Hotel Lusaka Tower; The presentation focused on how the U.S. Embassy assists potential American investors by organizing meetings with Zambian officials and local business owners.

6th| Advocacy Committee organised an event with the Bank of Zambia to discuss current fiscal and monetary policy. AmCham Zambia was pleased to host Dr. Emmanuel Pamu, Director of Financial Markets at the Bank of Zambia who spoke with 15 select members of the Board of Directors and the Advocacy Committee.

20th| AmCham Networking Cocktail at Sky Bar; The cocktail was open to non-members to bring new faces into the mix and some of contacts from the ZITF in Ndola.

30th| Atrafin Presentation; Atrafin is a company offering trade finance solutions with a focus on supporting trade between US/Europe and emerging market countries. The presentation focused on different financing solutions provided by Atrafin.